Inside Addleshaw Goddard’s legal tech strategy: innovation head Kerry Westland on managing a 70-person team, the explosive rise of AG’s internal AI tool, and what the future of law looks like

Kerry Westland leads one of the most ambitious innovation functions of any major law firm - a 70-person team at Addleshaw Goddard dedicated to transforming how legal services are delivered (with and without tech).In this episode, Kerry shares her journey from paralegal to head of innovation, and how AG has built out a tech strategy that blends vendor tools with homegrown solutions - including AGPT, the firm’s in-house AI assistant that’s now used across the business.We talk through the evolution of AG’s legal tech stack, how the firm approaches ROI, the rise of GenAI, and the practical challenges of implementing new tools in a legacy profession. Kerry also reflects on what the future of the law firm might look like - and why she doesn’t believe in the “end of the people pyramid.”From document automation to internal product development, from pricing models to practice group engagement, this is a look at how one of the UK’s top firms is operationalising innovation at scale.Chapters 00:35 The Evolution of Legal Innovation03:21 Defining Innovation in Law Firms06:39 Day-to-Day Responsibilities of an Innovation Leader09:26 Balancing Technology and Process in Legal Work12:43 Addleshaw Goddard's Tech Stack Overview15:30 Managing Technology Demands Across Practice Areas18:33 Impact of Internal Tools on Legal Work21:31 Adoption and Use Cases of AGPT24:26 Cost Considerations in Legal Technology27:19 Evaluating ROI on Legal Technology30:17 Impact on Billable Hour Model32:55 Productising Legal Technology35:04 Disruption from AI in Legal Services38:53 The Future of Junior Lawyers40:38 Envisioning the Law Firm of 203544:11 Exciting Innovations in Legal Tech48:46 Career Advice for Junior Lawyers50:08 Overcoming Risk to Foster Innovation51:32 Influential Reads in Legal ThinkingAbout Non-BillableNon-Billable is the media company for modern legal professionals, brought to you by a small team of former City lawyers and finance professionals.Visit our website: ⁠⁠https://www.nonbillable.co.uk